Holiday 5K Recaps

Finished off the year with three holiday 5Ks -- the North Shore Turkey Trot on Nov 22, the Cambridge Winter Classic on Dec 9. and the Somerville Jingle Bell Run on Dec 16.  Given my lack of running this fall, all three went much better than expected.

             Turkey Trot     Winter Classic     Jingle Bell
Mile 1:              8:36                    8:53              9:05
Mile 2:              9:26                    9:11              9:18
Mile 3:              9:51                    9:09              9:14
Total:              29:15                  28:32            28:55

Note: splits from my GPS watch, total times are official

North Shore Turkey Trot:
Given my lack of training this fall, my only goal for this one was to run a sub-30 and not make myself feel awful for the rest of Thanksgiving.  Katie was trying to beat her 28:27 PR from the Pumpkins in the Park 5K a few weeks earlier, but said she was going to start off a little slower and pick up the pace, so I decided to start with her and hang on as long as I could.  Apparently we have different ideas of "a little slower than 9:10 pace" because we started out running somewhere in the 8:00-8:15 range and I let her drop me around the 1 mile mark, which I reached in well under 9 minutes.  Things fell apart from there (with some help from a not-exactly-flat course), but I still finished in a pretty reasonable 29:15.

SWAG

Ready to rock and roll

Killer B's back in action

Post-race goodie bag

Mini apple pie = best Thanksgiving breakfast ever

Cambridge Winter Classic:
No photos from this one.  Oops. Still a fun morning and one of my better race performances of the year.  I woke up to a headache, off stomach, and dead legs (from Saturday's tough swim workout), but I stuck with it for an almost evenly paced race, which was also my fastest 5K since September of last year.  And followed it up with an awesome brunch at Tavern in Central Square.

Somerville Jingle Bell Run:
Despite spending most of the previous night's dinner party blaming the hosts what I was sure would be my slowest 5K ever thanks to their massive quantities of delicious food and beverages, this run was surprisingly pleasant.  Jogged a two mile warmup from the Kennedy School (where I had to drop off graded final exams, of course) to Davis Square, ran a pretty even, not too slow 5K, and then jogged a mile back to Porter Square where I warmed up with some Starbucks caramel apple cider and did a little Christmas shopping at Marathon Spots in Porter Square (including a new running vest for myself, which came in handy for the rest of the walk home).  All-in-all not a bad Sunday morning!

My green shirt was totally lame compared to the festive costumes people came up with

A Setback

I've been putting off writing this for a long, long time, but I've finally come to terms with some bad news -- I'm injured, AGAIN, and I'm not running the Chicago Marathon this year.

Back at the end of August, after my awesome 18 mile training run, I developed a sharp, pinching pain in my right hip when I ran.  But of course being me, I tried to push through it.  I kept running until my stride was so screwed up that an easy five miler had my right hamstring and calf complaining pretty loudly.  By that point I was limping just trying to walk around, and after a pitiful attempt at Yasso 800s the next day I was finally ready to admit I was injured.  So I took a full week off, which meant sitting out my first planned 20 miler.  It was a tough call, but I was optimistic that a week of rest would do the trick and that I could still get in a 20 miler before Chicago (I originally had two in the schedule).

After a week off, I was walking much, much better.  But as soon as I tested things out with an easy three miler, the pain was back.  I still tried a semi-long run, which went ok, but a month out from a big marathon being able to complete 12 miles with only moderate pain isn't exactly reason to celebrate.  I decided to do what I could to get through the NH Reach the Beach Relay and then make the call on Chicago after that.

The Reach the Beach Relay was a blast, as always, but the running part wasn't really working for me.  My legs were just under 4, 7, and 4 miles, and each one was a struggle.  My hip (and now IT band) was only moderately painful (until I had to run a quarter mile to the finish on sand ... ) but my legs felt weak and after so much time off I just wasn't on my game.  And I could tell that even without too much pain, my gait was still way off.

Photo by one of my amazing teammates, Hannah

Which brings us to last week.  I finally made an appointment to see the doctor and asked a friend to watch me try to run on a treadmill.  The conversation in the gym went something like this:

Me: Will you watch me run?  Am I favoring one leg?
Him:  Ummm, yes
Me:  Are you sure?
Him: Yes.  You are.  You're not bending your right leg enough
[I make a concerted effort to bend my right leg]
Him: That's a little better ...
Me: !@#$

The trip to the doctor was even worse.  I explained what hurt and that ibuprofen helped, they poked around a little to rule out major tears and fractures and such, and then told me that I was not going to be running a marathon in two weeks.  And that I need to go to physical therapy and not do anything fun like run or go for a long bike ride.  When I pressed for an actual diagnosis, the doc told me there's a lot of inflammation in my hip, and possibly some bursitis, which is making things rub together that shouldn't rub together.  Which is causing pain and screwing up my gait.  Which after 26 miles will probably result in some damage to the parts of my legs that currently work ok.  I'd kind of figured most of that out on my own, but sometimes it helps to hear someone with a medical degree state the obvious.

So.  No Chicago Marathon for me this fall.  I'm really bummed, but I'm trying to think about the big picture look at it as a minor setback.  There will be other races, even other marathons, and they will go much better if I give my body a break instead of pushing through this marathon on an injury like I did with the last two.

But I do have a plan (which is good, because otherwise I would probably be face down in a melty pint of Ben and Jerry's right now).

Part 1 of the plan is to take a week or two to rest, focus on getting the rest of my life back on track after so much time training and agonizing over the marathon decision (I'm looking at you, dissertation), and hang out with this adorable little guy:

I'm sorry, human, did you want to sleep here?

Part 2 of the plan is to get my butt in gear again and prove to myself that I can still be an endurance athlete even if I take this fall and next spring off from marathoning.  The doctor said that swimming should be ok, and that I can start cycling when that doesn't cause discomfort in my hip.  So I signed up for my first adult swim class!  It's geared toward people thinking about their first triathlon, so you can probably guess where this is all going :)  I'm also going to really commit to physical therapy this time instead of just using it as a temporary patch to get through my next race.  And if all goes well this fall/winter, next spring/summer will be the time when I focus on getting faster in the half marathon, complete my first half Ironman, and start training for next year's Chicago Marathon.

Thanks so much for all of your support during training, and to everyone who donated to my Race to Stop MS campaign.  Chicago Marathon, I'll see you in 2013.

Monday Mileage Report

My first 40+ mile week of the training cycle and I lived to tell the tale (despite taking a tennis ball to the face on Sunday's long run).  Other than my near death experience, Sunday's long run was actually really encouraging -- it wasn't easy, but it didn't feel impossible, either.  Maybe this marathon thing is going to work out after all ...

Mon - Cross Rest
Tue - 5.07 mi @ 10:10 pace (GA)
Wed - 8 6.77 mi @ 10:53 pace incl. 8 x 800m (Yasso 800s)
Thu - 5.28 mi @ 11:46 pace (EZ)
Fri - Rest
Sat - 8.01 mi @ 11:16 pace (GA)
Sun - 18.01 mi @ 11:53 pace (LSD)

Post-run happiness: buffalo chicken strips, fries, and beer

The mileage is definitely catching up with me (I'm looking at you, pinchy feeling in my hip!), so I'm looking forward to a step back week.  I'm also going drop the intervals this week to really give my body a chance to recover before I plunge back in with another 40+ mile week, including the dreaded 20 miler, the following week.

Mon - Cross Rest
Tue - 5 mi GA
Wed - 5 mi GA
Thu - 5 mi EZ
Fri - Rest
Sat - 8 mi MP
Sun - 13 mi LSD

Out of Peanut Butter (A Photo Essay)

Me: No more peanut butter!  Disaster!

Klaus: What are you talking about, human?  There's still peanut butter in here.

Klaus: Ok, human.  NOW we're out of peanut butter.

Me: Ooh, Nutella!

(Several Weeks Worth Of) Monday Mileage Report

It's been a crazy few weeks!  As a result, my training has been kind of all over the place -- shifting workouts around and skipping them entirely -- which I hate.  Here's a quick recap of the past few weeks:

July 23 - 29:  I knew things were going to be crazy once I left for San Francisco, so I crammed in as much running as a I could before I left, including that weekend's long run.  It wasn't pleasant, and I was pretty sore on Saturday, but I got the miles done!  And it was great to be able to relax once I got to SF, just needing to get in a few easy miles that happened to coincide perfectly with running between points on the marathon course.
Mon - Cross Rest
Tue - 4.11 mi @ 10:26 pace (GA) 
Wed - 7.02 mi @ 12:00 pace (Yasso crazy hot 800s)
Thu - 4.12 mi @ 11:27 pace (EZ)
Fri - 15.00 mi @ 12:49 pace (3/1 LSD)
Sat - Rest (fly to SF)
Sun - 4.04 mi @ 12:08 pace (SF Spectating Part 1) and 2.52 mi @12:40 pace (SF Spectating Part 2)

July 30 - August 5:  Started the week still in SF and decided not to worry about training for a few days.  I knew I would get plenty of exercise in walking, hiking, swimming, etc., and I did!  Of course, I was a little stressed when I got back to Wilmette, but I resisted the temptation to go crazy trying to make up miles (although I did run four days in a row, again).
Mon - Cross (walking tour of SF)
Tue - 4 mi GA Cross (hiking/beach walking/swimming at Point Reyes)
Wed - 5 mi Yasso 800s Rest (fly back to Chicago)
Thu - 4 mi EZ 5.06 mi @ 10:11 pace including 6 x 800m intervals (Yasso 800s)
Fri - Rest 4.04 mi @ 11:20 pace (EZ)
Sat - 7 mi 5.41 mi @ 11:04 pace (MP discontinued due to thunderstorm)
Sun - 12.00 mi @ 11:41 pace (LSD)

My favorite things to see after a long run

August 6 - 12:  I planned my drive back from Chicago to Boston for Monday mostly so that I wouldn't miss another day of training.  But then on Monday morning I got about an hour into the drive before I had to turn around because the steering wheel kept having shaking fits.  FAIL.  I knew running five days in a row would be tempting fate (plus I was exhausted from waking up early after a stressed out night of not very much sleep) so I decided to just take a nap on the couch and take Klaus for an extra walk.  Then on Tuesday I was up early again (with a fixed car -- thanks, Dad!) and off to Boston.  We made the drive in 16.5 hours, getting back to my apartment around midnight.  Which mean that I once again found myself one run behind and totally exhausted.  Early in the week I didn't quite get in the quality workouts I wanted, but I did end up coming in only 3 miles short of the planned total.
Mon - Cross Rest (Failed attempt to drive from Chicago to Boston)
Tue - 4 mi GA Rest (Actual drive from Chicago to Boston) 
Wed - 8.04 mi @ 11:17 pace (Yasso 800s Zombie Run)
Thu - 4 mi 5.06 mi @ 11:46 pace (EZ)
Fri - Rest
Sat - 8.01 mi @ 10:42 pace (MP)
Sun - 17.01 mi @ 12:36 pace (LSD)

Look, Mom!  I eat healthy sometimes!

This Week: I am definitely feeling the miles at this point.  I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck, and couldn't make it through the afternoon without an hour long nap (and even after that I was still tired!)  I registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Providence half marathon this coming Sunday, but I've decided to skip it.  I'm not feeling great about my first ever DNS, but it seems like the right thing to do.  I only signed up for this race to give myself a chance to go for a PR, but I am definitely not in half marathon PR shape at the moment.  And I'm not sure I can take another disappointing half marathon.  I also don't feel like traveling to Providence alone or leaving Klaus for another weekend.  So I'm going to remember the big picture and focus on marathon training.  Here's the plan for this week:
Mon - Cross Rest
Tue - 5 mi GA
Wed - 8 mi Yasso 800s
Thu - 5 mi EZ
Fri - Rest
Sat - 8 mi GA
Sun - 18 mi LSD

How can I leave that face?  Even if he is gnawing on a cow femur ...

Have you ever skipped a race you registered for?  How do you get your rhythm back after a few off weeks?

San Francisco Weekend in Food Photos

The other weekend I went to San Francisco to watch S run his first marathon ever (spoiler alert: he kicked ass) and to visit one of my best friends from school who's spending his summer at Berkeley doing research.

Coming down the hill before mile 20.  I think S is in there somewhere ...

I was super nervous about trying to solo-spectate in a city I didn't know (especially after my Boston spectating fail), so instead of risking a confusing public transit system I laced up my Adrenalines and used the course map and my phone to plot out a route that would take my from my hotel to to the point where the course turned into Golden Gate park (right before the half) to mile 20 in a short enough time that I could comfortably catch S at both points.  Long story short, the route worked perfectly and there weren't many spectators out, so we had no trouble spotting each other both times.  S had a great race, finishing his first 26.2 in 3:36 on a not-exactly-flat course.  He didn't even make me carry him after the race and only yelled at me a few times when I made him take an ice bath.

S had to head to the airport a few hours after the race, so I headed to the Marina to catch up with my old roommate, her husband, and their adorable English bulldog.  Then I met up with my Harvard buddy and spent a few days drinking beer exploring Berkeley, San Francisco, and Point Reyes.

But now, the part you've all been waiting for.  My weekend in food photos!

Super Mario sandwich from Ike's Place -- meatballs, marinara and mozzarella sticks!

The Mousetrap grilled cheese sandwich from The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen

AMAZING carnitas nachos from a random roadside convenience store/deli/taco stand in Point Reyes

And last but certainly not lease, YOGURTLAND.  I can't even explain how excited I was when I saw a Yogurtland.  The Cali running bloggers I follow talk about it all the time (I'd even heard about the Hello Kitty spoons and cups) and I pretty much freaked out when I walked inside.  It was like I'd died and gone to fro yo heaven.

Red velvet cupcake batter, double cookies and cream, and some kind of chocolate with  Kit Kats, cookie dough, and Butterfingers.  And a penguin spoon.

And one non-food photo.  Gotta love that fog!

Rock 'n' Mud Recap Part 2: Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon

Ok, this is way overdue, the race was one of my worst ever, and I don't have many photos, so I'll try to make this quick.

The race start was early (6:30 am) so I set my alarm for 4:45 am.  I made it to bed pretty early on Saturday night, but I was still super grumpy about having to wake up in the dark.  I got up, got dressed, choked down a granola bar (we were out of pop tarts) and hopped into the car with a mug of tea.  I'd never driven to a race start alone before and I was a very nervous about getting stuck in traffic or not finding a place to park in downtown Chicago.  Everything went smoothly, but I picked a very popular parking garage and only made it to bag check with less than 15 min left to the start, which meant no time for the ridiculous port-a-potty lines.    I hadn't been chugging water that morning, so I crossed my fingers and found my corral.

I (very stupidly) decided to go out at sub-10 pace even though I knew it was going to be a hot day (one of the big bank clocks said 83 degrees two or three miles into the race) and that the Muddy Buddy the day before had pretty much wiped me out.  I was feeling fine but not fantastic through about mile 4, but after that things got rough pretty fast.  I could tell that my legs were very much not fresh, and it felt like there was a rather pointy brick sitting in my stomach.

Remember this?

I tried to ignore the GI trouble, but it hurt too much and I kept having to slow to a walk, so I finally decided to stop at one of the on-course port-a-potties somewhere in mile five or six (and I decided I would be perfectly happy with a sub-11 pace).  Unfortunately, the pit stop didn't help (sorry if all this port-a-potty talk is TMI, but you are reading a running blog ...)  I was so frustrated with my pace and how much I was walking that I was almost crying by the time we turned on Michigan Ave around mile 7.  I couldn't imagine walking through another 6+ miles, so I briefly thought about dropping out but decided to wait it out a little longer.  I made another port-a-potty stop in mile 8 (I think?) and that seemed to do the trick.   Suddenly, I could run again!  I wasn't feeling fantastic, but I definitely felt like I could finish the last few miles at a reasonable pace.  I cruised for about two miles, and then things took a turn for the (much) worse again.

By the 9 mile mark, my goal was to keep the run under 2:30, which basically required staying around 11:30 pace for the last four miles.  I was feeling pretty good about that until just past the 10 mile mark, when we started stopped heading south and turned toward the lake before turning back north to Grant Park.  It was hot, my legs were done, and my stomach was unhappy.  Again.  I probably walked for at least half of the last 5K, and even then I felt like there was a good chance I would vomit on the course.  I made one more port-a-potty stop, and tried to ignore the guy who was sitting in the grass resting, which seemed like a pretty good idea.  By this point I knew that even my last-ditch 2:30 goal wasn't going to happen, so I revised again -- keep the average pace under 12 min miles.  I picked it up to a jog for a good part of the final mile, and apparently even looked halfway decent in the finisher chute (according to a friend who also struggled with the heat but still managed to finish his first half in 1:45!).  I finished in 2:36:10 for an 11:55 average pace.

They were passing out mini-Jamba Juice smoothies right after the finish line, which looked awesome but turned to to be another HUGE mistake.  I rushed to grab my gear-check bag and bolted for the finish area port-a-potties, where I hung out for a miserably long time until I felt like I could meet my friend to walk across the field to pick up my Rock 'n' Mud medal.

After a few more minutes chilling in the park, we headed a few blocks over to a new brunch place near my friend's office.  A whole bunch of other runners had the same idea, but I have never been so grateful for a long wait for a table!  By the time we were finally seated, my stomach had calmed down enough to enjoy an awesome post-race egg, potato, veggie, and cheese skillet.

When I got home a few hours later, I couldn't really talk about the race without crying.  So I wrote this blog post, took a shower and a nap, drank a lot of Gatorade, and decided to move on.  What can we learn from this disasterpiece of a race?

1) Eating at Five Guys <15 hours before a race is not a great idea

2) Maybe my body has trouble processing shotbloks when it's hot?  I don't think the timing of the stomach freakouts was a total coincidence

3) When I go out too fast (i.e., try to PR regardless of weather, training, or current fatigue level), I blow up hard.  Same thing happened back in June.